Molten Core

Consumer-price inflation ran out of gas in September as fuel expenses eased, but other costs kept right on climbing, in a report that should keep central bankers on the sidelines -- for now.

Skidding energy bills swept the legs out from under the consumer-price index last month, as the Labor Department's closely watched inflation gauge dropped by 0.5% in September, the steepest decline in 10 months. Still, prices on a range of products are going up. Indeed, stripping away the volatile energy and food components of the...